Upon getting the ticket validated back at the store to confirm the win, Pendergast, originally from Placentia, immediately called his wife Carrie up in Fort Mac and she then “right away booked a flight back home.”

They were presented with their winnings at the Atlantic Lottery headquarters on Hallett Crescent in St. John’s over the lunch hour today.

They said they plan on taking a family vacation with their five sons down in the Caribbean later this year.

Pendergast, 50, said the winning was extra special for them as they “lost everything” in the Fort Mac wildfire two years ago and they are now only getting around to having their home rebuilt and will enjoy some “nice brand-new furniture.”